by Noella Noelophile®
“I think this year, more than ever, we need the cheer surrounding Zoo Lights,” said L.A. Zoo Ambassador, Good Day L.A. anchor and 2018 Zoo Lights emcee Julie Chang on Friday evening.
It was just after 6:00, at Griffith Park, as the fifth edition of L.A. Zoo Lights was getting under way.
Honored as one of USA Today’s “10 Best Zoo Lights” shows, L.A. Zoo Lights was minutes away from starting off the 2018 Christmas season.
The gathered audience had already heard some gorgeous a cappella Christmas songs, courtesy of The Tinseltone Carolers. Both Chang and fellow Zoo Ambassador Carolyn Hennesy had shared what they loved most about the zoo.
“I think this Zoo is one of the chief jewels in the crown that is Los Angeles, ” Hennesy said.
And the giant tree, at the entrance of the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, stood ready. In just a few minutes, Chang and company would throw the “On” switch.
Los Angeles Zoo Acting Director Denise Verret had referenced recent world events, in her greeting to the gathered visitors.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty (around us),” she said.
“So as we get ready to celebrate this holiday season, I encourage you to be in the moment. …And as you join us at the Zoo Lights, I hope you enjoy it with your family, your friends and your loved one. and create connections and memories that last a lifetime.”
Now, “This Is Us” star star Chris Sullivan came onstage. Asked by Chang which zoo animal were to play his character, Toby, he first made the audience laugh.
“Do they have donkeys here at the Zoo?” he asked.
Getting serious, Sullivan suggested, “Probably a big old bear. Panda bear, brown bear, grizzly bear–some kind of bear,” he said.
Sullivan and Chang then introduced the next guest: Justin Turner of the L.A. Dodgers. Turner commented that. like Sullivan, he was seeing L.A. Zoo Lights for the first time.
“Obviously, you guys know that L.A. Zoo is our neighbor,” Turner said. “They do great things in the community. They take care of these animals, they teach us great lessons on how to take care of wildlife and respect animals.”
Asked by Chang about his Justin Turner Foundation, Turner explained that his nonprofit serves both homeless veterans and hospitalized children “battling a tough time in life”.
Verret gave Turner gifts of some zoo tickets for his Foundation, to bring the children whom he serves to the Zoo. And then…
“Is it the moment? Are we doing it?” Chang asked.
The answer was yes.
Chang, Sullivan, Hennesy and Turner moved to the control box, with “ON” in giant red letters.
“Let’s count down from five. Who’s with me?” Chang asked.
The crowd complied. “Five–four–three–two…”
An instant after “one”, the tree came to life.
Multicolored steam and bubbles sprayed into the air.
And L.A. Zoo Lights, 2018, was open for the evening!
With fourteen different locations plus reindeer, doing justice to every one of them would be impossible. However…
…as before, we found “L.A. Zoo Lights” magical. Up to, and including, the “snow” in which kids were playing as we came in!
These lighted reptilians are new this year.
Here are the “Northern Lights” constellations, with animals that come to life.
Last year’s Zoo Lights included these elephants…but they were “wearing” Christmas sweaters of lights.
This year, they’ve been re-imagined as “L.A. Phants”!
And we love the Tom Mankiewicz Conservation Carousel, with its endangered species animals, any day of the year. But getting to ride it to the accompaniment of what sounded like a Peruvian woodwind arrangement of “White Christmas” is definitely an only-in-L.A. Christmastime experience!
(Yes, that is a dung beetle in the foreground. Among the animals we saw on board were an armadillo and snow leopard. And we rode a sea lion and cheetah–purely in the interest of journalistic research, of course!)
If you’re lucky, as you walk by this blue-lit lagoon, a swan may raise its head and swim in your direction. And you will definitely hear quacking from the resident ducks.
These silvery birds in flight are new this year.
Lots of families were stopping for photo opps here and at the silvery “Christmas tree forest”.
Not surprisingly, we loved the “Twinkle Tunnel”. This year, it’s doubled in size, with some very fun additions. The igloo-shaped pavilion at the end is new…
…and so is their spectacular finale. (Hint: the dancer’s “butterfly” costume is just part of it!)
And while the “Lightscapes Water Show” was already breathtaking in 2017, this year it’s been redesigned as “Splashes of Light”.
(Whatever comes after “breathtaking”, would be an accurate description!)
Our camera couldn’t do it justice–but look for the shapes of animals “roaming” the edges of the water, as the rainbow projections are suspended in midair!
Also new this year: the lit-up animal cutouts outside the Reindeer Village.
Of course, no L.A. Zoo Lights visitor in his or her right Christmas-y mind would want to miss the “Reindeer Romp”. (And we didn’t!)
Here are the young ones, “Nutmeg” and “Nicholas”. “Nutmeg”, the youngest, is five months old, while “Nicholas” is an “old-timer” at seven months.
Look at those antlers! In the right-hand pen are the adult reindeer, “Cinnamon” and “Hazelnut”.
A staffer said “Cinnamon” is the playful one, while “Hazelnut” tends to be a little shy. The reindeer aren’t related to one another, and “Nicholas” is the lone male of the group. (And if you’d like to know more about them, reindeer keepers will be on hand, twice daily, to give talks about “Cool Reindeer Facts”. “Reindeer Romp” continues, with reindeer-related crafts and photo opps. from now through January 6th!)
“Where’s Rudolph?” we heard a couple of young Zoo visitors ask before we left.
“He’s at the North Pole, getting ready for Christmas,” the staffer answered.
(Too bad he couldn’t make it. )
“L.A. Zoo Lights”, 2018 edition, would be enough to put him–or anyone else–in the Christmas spirit.
“L.A. Zoo Lights” runs from now through Sunday, January 6th, at the Los Angeles Zoo, 5333 Zoo Drive in Griffith Park. “Zoo Lights” runs from 6-10 pm nightly. The Los Angeles Zoo will be closed on Friday, November 23rd, Monday, December 24th and Tuesday, December 25th. Here’s the link for more information.